I'm Your Shadow
by itsmadyagain
Summary: The Sohma family lives under the Zodiac curse, but only the select members of the Zodiac - and their new friend, Tohru - actually know about it. So when Satomi, a strange girl with more secrets than she's willing to reveal, shows up knowing absolutely everything, it causes quite a stir. As Akito cooks up another twist to throw their way, it seems like history is repeating itself.
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! So, here's a Fruits Basket fan fiction for you. It was the first anime show I ever watched, all the way back in eighth grade, and I've pretty much been thinking about this fan fiction ever since then. Also, for all intents and purposes, and to make my life easier when it comes to the sequel I'm already planning, all of the events from the anime got bumped back a year. Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki are all in their first year of high school still, but the finale of the anime has already happened. And Tohru's not with anyone at this present time. Well, long author's note aside, I hope you enjoy this fic! Happy New Year! :D**

Prologue

They were sitting around the table when it happened. The doors were closed because of the rainy weather and the chill in the air, but even the cold couldn't beat the warmth radiating from the freshly cooked meal and the four bodies seated together. A bowl of miso soup was placed in front of all four of them, and for once the orange-haired boy could not complain. There were more smiles than usual, more occasions of laughter as the only girl in the room tried to tell stories but tripped over her words instead.

The black-haired man, the only adult in the room, suddenly stopped in his retelling of the most recent events in his novel and straightened up a little. The room went silent as he listened. Quiet howls could be heard in the distance, but loudly enough that his highly sensitive ears could hear. He didn't speak a word, making the other three uneasy.

"Shigure," the boy with the grayish purple hair spoke. "What is it?"

"Something's happening," Shigure answered, looking more serious than any of them had seen in quite some time. He was on his feet in a flash, moving toward the door with no shoes and nothing on but his thin robe. There was no hesitation in his movements, only deliberation. "I'm going to go and check it out."

The girl perked up. "Oh, but your soup will get cold. And it's raining!"

He shook his head. "I'll be fine. Just keep eating. I shouldn't be gone long."

"You can't just go running around in a storm like this," the orange-haired boy snapped. 'You're going to get sick, and then Tohru's gonna have to take care of you."

"Oh, I don't mind!" the girl, Tohru, promised in a rush. "But, really, you should be mindful of your health, Shigure. Being sick is just awful."

The distracted look on the man's face told the other three that their protests would do little to sway him. But when a sudden scream split the air, they were right on Shigure's heels as he dashed out into the pouring rain.

"Which direction?" one of the boys asked, but Shigure was too focused on finding the source of the scream to distinguish which one inquired.

He turned his head one way, tilting it to the side, and listened again. There was another howl, this time closer than the other one had been. "East," he replied, and then took off running that way, his bare feet splashing through every puddle as he went. Tohru and the boys were quick to follow.

At a clearing beside a quickly flooding lake, Shigure skidded to a stop. Lying off to the side, just outside the treeline of the forest, lay a girl. She was covered in mud and her clothes were shabby and tattered. Bits of grass stuck to her dark, soaked hair, and her eyes were closed. The four people were at her side in an instant, no one daring to touch her. Anxious glances were exchanged. Shigure was the first to speak. "Yuki and Kyo, I want you to go back to the house and get me a blanket. Tohru, go with them and make sure there's a warm bath and an extra set of pajamas ready."

The three teenagers nodded. "Come on, Tohru," Kyo, the boy with the orange hair, said. He and Yuki each took one of her arms and led her back to the house.

Shigure knelt down beside the girl, using one hand to hesitantly brush aside her hair. There were scratches on her face, but ones that he assumed were due to stray branches catching on her skin. _I'll have to call Hatori in the morning,_ he thought, making a mental note for himself to remember.

He slid back her sleeve so he could check her pulse at her wrist, but stopped when he saw the bracelet encircling it. "Hello, what's this?" he murmured, grabbing her hand and turning it so he could catch the bracelet at every angle. To any normal person it would seem insignificant - spherical beads in an alternating black and white pattern - but to Shigure it was a reason to be concerned.

He heard Kyo and Yuki's return before they announced their presence. "We got the blanket," Yuki said. "Tohru's drawing up a bath right now."

"I don't see what a blanket's going to do, anyhow," Kyo said, shoving the blanket at Yuki and folding his arms across his chest. "It's already soaked, so it won't keep her warm."

Shigure waved the two over. "Kyo, come and look at this." Yuki followed as well, and both of them crouched down on either side of the man. Shigure pointed to the bracelet. "Look familiar?"

Kyo lifted his arm and looked at his own wrist. An identical bracelet was resting there, one he'd been wearing for as long as he could remember. And in all that time, he couldn't recall ever seeing another one like it. "It's just like mine. But how can that be?"

"We can talk about it once we get back to the house," Shigure answered, getting to his feet. "Hand me that blanket."

Yuki quickly passed it over and Shigure unfolded it. After laying it on the ground, he instructed Yuki and Kyo to help him in lifting the girl onto the blanket. "We aren't going to be of any use to her if we carry her in our arms," he explained. "I figured we could make a hammock and carry her back that way."

He lifted one end of the blanket, the end by her feet, and waited until Yuki and Kyo had each lifted the other corners before he began leading the way back to the house. Their feet were quick as they all but ran home, and they couldn't suppress small smiles as they reached the warm interior of the house. Tohru appeared in the room, looking concerned. "Is she okay?" she asked.

Now that they were inside, it was easier to check the girl's condition. "She's breathing," Shigure answered after feeling for a pulse again. "Tohru, can you manage to get her into the bath? I imagine she won't want to wake up covered in mud."

Tohru got a determined look in her blue eyes. "Just leave it to me!" she said in a grand voice. Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki helped her get a decent hold on the girl, and Tohru carried her the rest of the way to the bathroom.

When she was out of sight and earshot, the three males sank down around the table, staring dismally at their cold soup. "What does that bracelet mean?" Yuki wondered aloud. "Could she be a part of the Zodiac?"

"Don't be stupid," Kyo shot back. "If she was, we'd know about it. There's no spot left open for her to represent."

"She couldn't be another cat - "

"I'm the only cat there is, and you know that." Kyo practically snarled the words, his heated glare making Yuki roll his eyes. "I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone, anyway," he continued, looking away. "Except maybe you." On the inside, however, he knew he was lying.

Not knowing what else to say or think, the two looked to Shigure. "I'll call Hatori tomorrow and see if he can come and check on her. As for the bracelet, I'll have to ask Akito. At the very least, she may be a Sohma we haven't met. It'd explain why she was on Sohma land."

Kyo and Yuki's faces both darkened at the mention of Akito. The idea of the leader of the Sohma family getting involved in this was not in the least bit appealing. But what could be done? They had no idea who the girl was or where she had come from. They didn't even have a name for her.

Shigure spaced off in the direction of the bathroom while Yuki propped his chin on his hand and Kyo laid his forehead on the table. It was going to be a long night, and all of them knew it. Something big was about to happen, another fact that they knew as well. But when that event would happen was still left to the unknown. And, for now, they were willing to keep it that way.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

It was half an hour before Tohru returned to them. "I got her in the bath all right," she said, sitting down at the empty side of the table. She folded her hands in her lap. "And I got all of the mud off of her. She woke up long enough to get into my extra pajamas and climb under the blankets, but then she went back to sleep. She didn't say anything to me."

Shigure nodded solemnly. Yuki shook his head a little, still concerned with the serious manner in which his cousin was behaving. "All right. Whose bed is she in?" the man asked.

"Mine," Tohru replied. "But the bed is really big; I can still fit."

"You're not sleeping in the same bed as a strange girl!" Kyo and Yuki both burst out at the same time. They clenched their jaws shut and glared at each other.

Tohru's blue eyes widened. "No, no, it's okay! I promise! I don't think she's strange. She seems like a nice person, and she's probably really scared."

Kyo and Yuki looked unconvinced. "Besides," Shigure added. "I think if she wanted to harm Tohru, she would have done it when she woke up after her bath. I mean, she _was_ naked. She was probably feeling pretty vulnerable."

That seemed to set the two boys at ease a little, but Kyo's eyes were still darting toward the ceiling every now and again as if he could see through it into Tohru's bedroom, and Yuki was keeping a watchful eye on Tohru, who was smiling. "Actually, she just grabbed the pajamas from me as soon as her eyes opened. She didn't hesitate at all. And then she just waited until I drained the bathtub and led her into my room. I told her she could sleep there and she was asleep again in seconds." She shrugged one shoulder. "I don't think she felt vulnerable at all."

The four of them stared at each other for a while, all thoughts about Tohru's cold bowls of miso soup completely out of their minds. Shigure's stomach grumbled briefly, but he ignored it. "Tomorrow's Friday," he said suddenly. "You all have school tomorrow. You best get to bed now, otherwise you'll all be horrible to get up in the morning." He smirked and winked at Tohru. "Except for you, of course."

Kyo waited until Yuki and Tohru had left before he got up as well. Tohru tried to take the dishes into the kitchen before going, but Shigure had insisted that he would do it for you. Kyo, however, grabbed all fours bowls and balanced them on his arms, a scowl on his face as he carefully carried them out of the room. Shigure watched him go, a slight frown on his face. _Those beads,_ he thought. _Why does she have those beads?_

Kyo set all the bowls on the counter and opened up the fridge, setting the bowls inside soon after. They could reheat them for dinner tomorrow night. After that was complete, he shut the fridge and made his way up to his room. He snatched his pillow and his blanket and went back into the hall, his feet carrying him toward Tohru's room. _If she wants to insist on sleeping in the same bed as that girl, I can at least sleep outside her door to make sure she doesn't get attacked._

But when he reached her door he almost collided into Yuki, who was thinking exactly the same thing. They both dropped their pillows and blankets to the floor, Kyo balling his hands into fists and Yuki just giving him a disinterested look. "What the hell are you doing here?" Kyo snapped.

"Shut up, you stupid cat, or you're going to wake them," Yuki scolded in a hushed voice. "I'm keeping an eye on Tohru. By the way you're glaring at me, I'm going to assume that you are intending to do the same."

Kyo sniffed indignantly and looked away. "Yeah, maybe so." He cleared his throat. "So, what, are we both gonna sleep here?" Yuki shrugged and nodded. "Fine."

They spread their blankets and curled up beneath them, their heads toward each other with their faces turned toward Tohru's bedroom door. The wooden floor was hard against their hips and their shoulders, but neither of them voiced a complaint or even thought to move back to his own room.

When Shigure came by to see if Tohru was safe, he found two boys sleeping outside her door and smiled.

oOoOo

Tohru was carefully tying a yellow ribbon into her hair as Kyo yanked on his shoes and Yuki tried several times to fix his tie the way it was supposed to be, failing each time. Tohru eventually took pity on him and went to his aid; she'd already fixed Kyo's. Shigure was watching them with a cup of tea in his hands, leaning against the wall as they scrambled about to get ready for school. He poked fun at Kyo a few times for looking absolutely ridiculous in his uniform, something that pissed the orange-haired boy off to no end.

When they were finally ready, Tohru turned anxious eyes to the older man. "You're going to call Hatori, right?" she asked. "He'll come over and make sure she's okay?"

Shigure nodded. "I already called him. He should be over shortly." Tohru smiled a little and nodded. "Now, run along before you're late for school. Kyo, I don't want to hear you've gotten into any more fights." Kyo huffed and stalked out of the house. Yuki and Tohru quickly followed

him. Shigure, however, kept shouting after them. "And make sure Momiji doesn't hug anyone! And don't let Haru threaten that one guy again!" They were already out of earshot.

"You know they can't hear you now, right?"

Shigure jumped and turned around. The girl was peering into the room, her light blue eyes watching him steadily. Her hair, when not soaked by the rain, was wild and curly and just a shade darker than Tohru's light brown hair. She had a thin frame, but easily filled out Tohru's pajamas. _She's just as cute as Tohru,_ was his first thought when he looked at her.

He smiled. "Ah, you're awake. You gave us all quite the scare last night." She just stared at him. Shigure cleared his throat. "Um, would you like some breakfast? There's rice in the kitchen."

"I'm fine," she replied. Shigure wondered how she could go so long without eating, but that could have just been the glutton side of his mind thinking.

A tall man with hair as black as Shigure's walked into the house through the open door, slipping his suit jacket off and laying it over his shoulder. His hair was parted on the side, his bangs only long on the left side so that his eye was completely covered. "You called?" he said in a quiet, deep voice.

Shigure jumped again and turned in the newcomer's direction, not at all liking having his back toward the girl. "Oh, Hatori, you're here!" He smiled brightly. "Well, when I called I assumed she'd still be asleep, but she's not now." He tugged on the collar of his robe. "Anyway, I got her to speak a little. She hasn't told me anything about who she is or what happened last night, though. I was hoping you could look and see if she's injured at all."

"Please don't talk about me as if I weren't standing in the same room as you, Shigure," the girl said in a tense, snappy voice.

Shigure's face paled a little. _She knows my name. How does she know my name?_

Hatori was shaking his head. "Satomi, you must learn to keep your temper under control. You've seen what a short temper does to other people."

Shigure looked back and forth between the two in confusion. "Wait." Hatori and Satomi both turned toward him. "Hari, you know her?"

Satomi did a mock bow. "Satomi Sohma, at your service," she said snidely. "I've known Hari for as long as I can remember. He looked after me when I was younger. I got sick often."

Hatori nodded in confirmation. "Satomi is a distant cousin. You remember Kazuo Sohma, yes?" Shigure nodded, although he really had no idea. "He died of pneumonia, and his wife, Chisuzu, remarried two years later. After the first year, Satomi was born. She had several health-related issues when she was an infant, leading Chisuzu to leave her at the Sohma estate, trusting that our family had reputable doctors. Because I wanted to be a doctor myself when I got older, I was tasked with looking after Satomi when I wasn't at school or busy with you and Ayame. I have not seen Chisuzu or Satomi's father since then."

"That doesn't make her officially a Sohma, though," Shigure pointed out. "Her father isn't a Sohma, and her mother's surname would have been replaced."

"Because I was given to Sohma house to be looked after, I was given the last name," Satomi answered. "I outgrew my health problems and was able to move in with a temporary Sohma household instead of remaining at the main house all the time, after we were unable to locate my biological parents."

Shigure's mind was reeling. How could Hatori have helped look after a child for several years without him ever figuring it out? He and Hari were best friends; surely he'd have noticed? "What were you doing out in the forest last night?" Shigure asked instead, looking at Satomi. "You screamed so loudly; I was afraid you were being attacked."

Satomi looked away from him, glancing at Hatori instead. The doctor changed the subject instead of answering. "Haven't you got a meeting with Akito to attend?" he asked.

Shigure's face blanked like he'd completely forgotten. "Aw, hell," he said before dashing out of the room. He returned minutes later dressed in a finely pressed suit and correctly tied tie. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Hatori, I expect you to still be here when I return. I want answers."

As soon as Shigure had disappeared. Hatori sat down. Satomi continued to hover in the doorway, spacing off in the direction of the road. "You did well," he said, his voice a bit kinder than normal. "He didn't suspect that you knew anything."

"Do you think Akito knows?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. There was a distant look in her blue eyes, like she was seeing something that wasn't actually there.

Hatori shook his head. "If he knows, it's going to be even worse for you. He can't harm me, but there's no limit to the damage he can cause you." Satomi flinched, repressing one of her past memories that she'd hoped she wouldn't be reminded of again. "Satomi." She glanced down at her closest friend. "It will be all right. You're playing your part well. You needn't worry about anything just yet."

"Do I tell them?" Hatori blinked. "Eventually, do I tell them? If this is going to work, then there's no situation in which they have to be kept in the dark."

Hatori smiled. "You just want to show off your knowledge, Tomi. I know you."

She laughed. "Maybe so. You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all."

oOoOo

Akito was dressed in an elegant rose-colored robe when Shigure arrived at the main Sohma house. He was lying on the floor in a pool of sunlight, his back to Shigure. "Good morning, Akito," Shigure said formally, bowing.

Akito didn't move. "You may come in. Have a seat. I feel we have much to discuss."

Shigure could never quite get over the strangeness of being ordered about by someone younger than him, but it wasn't as though he could defy the wishes of the head of the family. It was rebellious enough that he lived in a house separate from the rest of the family's estates. So he did as he was bid, sitting where he stood before and crossing his legs. "How have you been feeling?" he asked respectfully.

Still Akito did not turn to look at him. "Better. Hatori's medicines have been working, I believe."

"He tells me you're supposed to remain in bed, lest you harm yourself more."

Akito scoffed. "I cannot lead this family from a bed, Shigure."

Shigure inclined his head and stared at the floorboards. "Forgive me. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Why are you here?"

He had the suspicion that Akito knew exactly why he requested the meeting. Figuring Akito just wanted to hear Shigure explain it himself, he said, "I found a girl lying in the middle of the forest last night. She screamed, which was why I went in search of her." He swallowed, staring at the unmoving form of the young man before him. "She claimed her name is Satomi Sohma. I had Hatori come and check up on her; he confirmed it."

"So what exactly are you asking me?"

Shigure scratched the back of his neck. "Do you know why she was out in the forest last night, or why she screamed? She was far from the main estate."

"It was a setup," Akito replied. Shigure stiffened in surprise. "Did she say anything about the curse to you? Or to Yuki and the other two?"

"No. She didn't say anything about it. I don't think she knows. Why should she?"

Akito rolled onto his opposite side, laying his head on his arm and staring at Shigure with cool and calculating gray eyes. "Satomi Sohma is far more clever than you assume she is. She was raised in this house, as I'm sure she or Hatori told you. She was a nosey little brat, always getting into things she wasn't supposed to, even when she was barely more than an infant. It was a task just to keep her out of trouble, and Hatori seemed to be the only one able to control her." He laughed coldly, drawing on the floor with his fingertip. "She stumbled upon Ayame one morning when she was twelve, completely by accident. of course. It was too cold that day, and he wasn't dressed properly enough. He transformed into a snake right in front of her."

"So, she knows?" Shigure asked, listening with rapt attention. "I can't imagine Aya would be able to talk himself out of that situation."

Akito rolled his eyes. "I would have had Hatori erase her memory as soon as she returned to the house, but I did not find out that she knew of our family's secrets until two nights ago." He sighed, pressing two fingers to his forehead to fight off a growing headache. "She knew everything. She'd been quietly observing the members of the Zodiac that live on this estate for four years, and only confronted me about all of this knowledge when she was sure she knew it all." He laughed again, the sound of it making Shigure's blood run cold. "I was able to tolerate her rebellious nature when she was younger - to an extent." He flexed his hand. "But this offense was far greater than any of the minor disruptions she'd caused before."

"You ordered Hatori to erase her memories, didn't you?" Shigure said in a quiet voice. "That's why she didn't mention anything about the curse."

Akito nodded. "Yes. I told him to escort her to the forest just outside your house and erase her memories there. That would be the cause of the scream you heard, and the reason that she was so far away from the main house."

Shigure's brows furrowed. "But why would you want me to find her? Surely it would be better for her to stay here, especially considering Kyo and Yuki aren't the best at making sure they don't accidentally bump into females. They run into Tohru all the time."

"If she were to stay here, it would only be a matter of time before she finds everything out again and tries to use it against me. With her at your home, there is a lesser chance of her discovering the secrets we've been trying to preserve for so long," Akito explained, rolling onto his back to stare at the ceiling.

Shigure was silent for a few minutes as he tried to process all of this new information. Satomi had known about the curse he was affected by, but had had her memories erased by Hatori. He had wondered why Hatori was so unsurprised by Shigure mentioning there was an unconscious girl in the forest outside his house. There was his answer.

"I can sense you still have another question for me," Akito said slowly, laying one hand across his stomach and drumming his fingertips against it.

Shigure nodded just once. "The bracelet she was wearing when I found her… Has she always had that?"

"It was a gift to her from Kazuma. Don't ask me why he gave it to her; I don't know the answer. I suspect he hoped that she and Kyo could bond over it in the future." He huffed. "What a stupid wish."

Shigure bowed until his nose nearly touched the floor. "Thank you for your time, Akito. I apologize for having asked so many questions."

"Don't bother with your apologies, Shigure." Akito yawned. "I don't mind them if they're from you." Shigure turned a little red in the face. "You're dismissed. Good luck with Satomi."

Shigure pushed himself to his feet, bowed again, and then left the room quickly, his head ducked down so as to not make eye contact with anyone for the time being. He had so much to think about: the true meaning of why Kazuma gave Satomi the bracelet, why Akito thought it was a good idea to place her in his custody, and how he was going to prevent Satomi from finding out about the curse again in the future.

He sighed. He had a deadline for his latest novel fast approaching. He didn't have time to worry about so many things at once. _Perhaps Hatori can stick around for a while,_ he thought. _If he really is the only one who can control Satomi, we'll need all the help we can get._


End file.
